William Empson, Volume I
Among the Mandarins
John Haffenden
Reviews and Awards
"Densely and illuminatingly written."--Irish Times
"The arrival of the first volume of John Haffenden's exhaustive and authoritative biography of poet and literary scholar William Empson, then, is timely. For one thing, it shows that the debate rekindled by Derrida's death has been going on, in one form or another, for the better part of a century. More significant, though, Haffenden offers an intimate view of Empson's own grappling with the uses, challenges, and limitations of rational inquiry."--Charlotte Taylor, Bookforum
"Haffenden's amazingly detailed narrative makes a rare old page-turner."--The Independent
"Haffenden's marvellous book is full of shrewd readings, suggestive details, and comic facts."--Guardian Review
"Among the Mandarins is a remarkable achievement, it is something of a triumph, it is much more than a devoted exercise in biography or a meticulously researched study of the life -- or half-life -- of its eccentric and brilliant subject."--Textualities
"A stunning demonstration of the power of intellectual biography."--Ronald Shusterman, Universite de Provence
"Measured and affectionate in tone, exhaustive in detail, lucid in the exposition of his difficult verse and often anguished life."--Sam Leith, The Spectator
"Magisterial scholarship."--Ruben Christiansen, The Spectator
"A triumph. It is funny, dense, touching and farcical. This is an exhilarating tale."--Margaret Drabble, "Books of the Year", Times Literary Supplement
"Haffenden is without doubt the world's foremost authority on the details of Empson's life."--Jason Harding, Times Literary Supplement
"A magnificent biography a grippingly readable volume."--Terry Eagleton, New Statesman Books of the Year
"One of the finest biographies of an English literary figure."--James Wood, Guardian Review
"Magnificent and surprisingly gripping book, intelligently written, with a background of thorough research, well-illustrated and well-indexed."--Anthony Thwaite, Sunday Telegraph
"A wonderful book. Haffenden's research is exhilaratingly deep and wide, his feeling for both the work and the man is warm but always judicious, and his prose is a model of elegant, grown-up clarity, seasoned with quiet and civil wit."--Kevin Jackson, The Sunday Times
"In some biographies, the biographer has to keep out of his subject's way. On virtually every page of this biography, Empson writes or says something startlingly interesting in his startlingly unusual way."--Adam Phillips, The Observer
"Few critics have done more for poetry than Empson (1906-1984); few have led stranger or more adventurous lives. Empson's travels make entertaining reading. The main reason for reading Empson's own writings is to see what he made of the authors he cherished. (He was the best reader Donne ever had.). In an era when readers debate whether poetry matters, it helps to remember a man who defended it, and pursued his own arguments about it, even to the ends of the earth."--New York Times Book Review